The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of a gear drive or power transmission with infinitely variable transmission or gear ratio.
Generally speaking, the gear drive or power transmission, or sometimes simply referred to herein as the transmission, with infinitely variable transmission or gear ratio of the present development is of the type comprising a drive shaft and a power take-off or driven shaft. There are also provided toothed elements whose radial spacing from the altered.
There are numerous gear drives or transmissions of this general type which are known in the art, but none of the heretofore known gear drives or transmissions affords and exclusively form-locking or positive connection between the drive shaft and the power take-off or driven shaft through the use of conventional toothed structure or components.
For instance, there is known from German Patent No. 875,114, granted Mar. 19, 1953, a gear drive or transmission of the previously mentioned type wherein a gear wheel or gear is subdivided into toothed segments. These toothed segments are each mounted in a fixed bearing and are slidingly arranged upon a drive disk along radii thereof, wherein the axis of rotation of the drive disk can be transversely adjusted in relation to that of the fixed bearing. In the gear train between the drive shaft and the power take-off or driven shaft of this gear drive or transmission there is, however, provided a force-locking or frictional coupling which transmits the torque or rotational moment and which possesses clamping spheres or balls which coact with inclined surfaces or ramps.
Other prior art constructions of gear drives or transmissions which work with circular displacements and/or cranks, have been disclosed in the German Patent No. 873,340, granted Feb. 26, 1953 and the German Patent No. 1,075,396, granted Aug. 11, 1960. These prior art constructions of gear drives or transmissions provide in the presence of a constant driving rotational speed a more or less oscillating power take-off rotational speed, and apart from the foregoing exhibit eccentrically revolving masses. The same also holds true for the gear drive or transmission which is known from the German Pat. No. 2,533,706, published Feb. 17, 1977.